Training Injured: Crawl If I Must

I have been struggling with that injury that must not be named (cough...cough...plantar fasciitis) since January 2013.  While initially it was limited to the left foot, while training for the Dumbo Double Dare, I began feeling that ominous pain in my heel/arch on my right foot.  I am going to be training for the Tinkerbell Half Marathon that occurs on January 19th.  How to train for it has been an ongoing discussion with my chiropractor.

So, we first focused on what I can do without risking further injury: aquajogging and elliptical trainer.  I have access to a pool and have an elliptical trainer as well in my home workout gym.  I will start off on the elliptical trainer but if I cannot do it without pain, I will switch to aquajogging.  Both forms of exercise are great cardio and low to no impact.  More information about aquajogging can be found here.

In addition to daily stretching, massaging my foot with a tennis ball and towel scrunches, I will also begin to incorporate strength training.  Strength training will strengthen the muscles so the injury will be less likely to occur again.  For my strength training, I love my Zcut DVDs that feature workouts with Zuzka.  The workouts take about 30 minutes so they are perfect for my busy schedule and, while you can use weights if you want, they feature bodyweight resistance exercises.  I love the workouts and by the end I am a sweaty mess.

The third component is stretching daily.  I have specific stretches for that injury which must not be named but I am also to my whole body daily.  In addition, I have a Triggerpoint roller which I roll out on nightly and The Stick which I use at the office at least twice a day on my calves.

Triggerpoint Roller

The Stick

I have modified the Tinker Bell Half Marathon Training Program for beginner runners on the Run Disney website.  I incorporated strength training every other day, on Tuesday/Thursday I train either on the elliptical trainer or in the pool by aquajogging, and I run on Saturdays outside.  I also never run more than 13 miles and every other week is only a 3 mile run to give my body time to heal. My training schedules for September through the event are:

 I will also be following the old adage "If it hurts, stop" so I don't injure my foot further.  If it hurts, I will modify my workout appropriately rather than push it.  My goal is to run/walk the Tinker Bell Half Marathon without further injury.

I know I am injury prone so setting a schedule with the injuries in mind is essential for my training.  I'd rather be too conservative rather than push myself too hard, too fast and have additional injuries.  Happy training!  Let me know how your training is going and how you deal with injuries.